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Middle England
Middle England
Nov 17, 2025 2:43 AM

Author:Jonathan Coe

Middle England

WINNER OF THE THE COSTA NOVEL AWARD 2019

'The book everyone is talking about' The Times

'A comedy for our times' Guardian

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The country is changing and, up and down the land, cracks are appearing - within families and between generations.

In the Midlands Benjamin Trotter is trying to help his aged father navigate a Britain that seems to have forgotten he exists, whilst in London his friend Doug doesn't understand why his teenage daughter is eternally enraged. Meanwhile, newlyweds Sophie and Ian can find nothing to agree on except the fact that their marriage is on the rocks . . .

A hilarious follow-up to The Rotters' Club and Closed Circle, Jonathan Coe captures the state of our nation once again!

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'Coe's back with a bang. Middle England is the novel about Brexit we need' Daily Telegraph

'A pertinent, entertaining study of a nation in crisis' Financial Times, Books of the Year

'Very funny. Coe - a writer of uncommon decency - reminds us that the way out of this mess is through moderation, through compromise, through that age-old English ability to laugh at ourselves' Observer

Written with his signature wit, Jonathan Coe's unmissable new novel, Bournville, is available to pre-order now!

Reviews

Brilliantly funny . . . a compelling state of the nation novel, full of light and shade, which vividly charts modern Britain's tragicomic slide

—— Economist

Expansive and often very funny . . . Coe - a writer of uncommon decency - reminds us that the way out of this mess is through moderation, through compromise, through that age-old English ability to laugh at ourselves

—— Observer

A pertinent, entertaining study of a nation in crisis

—— 'Books of the Year' , Financial Times

His affectionately witty attitude to our human foibles is always uplifting . . . Superb

—— The Times

In Middle England, Coe shows an understanding of this country that goes beyond what most cabinet ministers can muster . . . he subtly builds a picture that exposes the cracks in society . . . he is a master of satire but pokes fun subtly, without ever being cruel, biting or blatant . . . his light, funny writing makes you feel better

—— Evening Standard

Tackling his characters' opposing points of view, he draws a portrait of a recognisable Britain baffled by its loss of industry and jobs, and of everyday people shocked by a rise of acceptable racism and xenophobia. It's also very, very funny

—— Stylist

Millions of words have been and will be written on Brexit but few will get to the heart of why it is happening as incisively as Middle England

—— John Boyne , Irish Times

This is a picture of England that comes from a place of compassion and understanding

—— inews

Coe is as funny and tender as ever, restoring some humanity to the tumultuous societal backdrop

—— Grazia

Middle England combines top-class soap opera storytelling with melancholy insight into what it means to be English

—— Metro

Middle England takes all that is memorable and moving about Coe's body of work and throws it at the present emergency

—— Alex Clark , TLS

Sparkled with all the acuity of his best novels . . . Uproarious and always on-the-money

—— Books of the Year , Evening Standard

Very funny . . . Exceptionally good . . . Delightful

—— BBC Radio 4 , Saturday Review

Brilliant

—— Nicola Sturgeon

Middle England is a full-blooded state of the nation novel, and it brings us bang up-to-date

—— Sunday Times

Coe is an extraordinarily deft plotter . . . he tackles big ambitious themes, in this case the effect of politics on people's lives, and political opinions on personal relations

—— Mail on Sunday

The beauty of Jonathan Coe's new novel, Middle England, is the way it tracks the seemingly unconnected moments that brought Britain to its knees - and with devastating delicacy, too

—— Eva Wiseman , Observer

The great chronicler of Englishness

—— Independent

A copper bottomed masterpiece

—— Barney Norris

Coe's comic critique of a divided country dazzles . . . properly laugh-out-loud funny . . . it is also incisive and brilliant about our divided country and the deep chasms revealed by the vote to leave. Do not miss

—— The Bookseller

The first great Brexit novel

—— Sathnam Sanghera

This book is sublimely good. State of the (Brexit) nation novel to end them all, but also funny, tender, generous, so human and intelligent about age and love as well as politics

—— India Knight

Jonathan Coe's Middle England is brilliantly insightful on the times we are living in

—— Mishal Husain, Books of the Year , Big Issue

Let me add to the chorus of praise for Jonathan Coe's new book Middle England. Easily my favourite of his since What a Carve Up! Which did for Thatcherism what Middle England does for Brexit

—— John Crace

An astute, enlightened and enlightening journey into the heart of our current national identity crisis. Both moving and funny. As we'd expect from Coe

—— Ben Elton

From post-industrial Birmingham to the London riots and the current political gridlock, it takes in family, literature and love in a comedy for our times

—— Guardian

Coe can make you smile, sigh, laugh; he has abundant sympathy for his characters

—— Scotsman

This book is sublimely good. State of the (Brexit) nation novel to end them all, but also funny, tender, generous, so human and intelligent about age and love as well as politics

—— India Knight

Nation, published in 2008 (this year's award catchment runs from August 2008-September 2009), is an extraordinarily complicated tale about God, tradition and loss. Yet it is told with beautiful simplicity and rollicking readability.

—— Andrew Johnson , The Independent

Funny and profound, Nation is much more than an adventure story, pitting reason against religion and offering an alternative perspective on world history and culture.

—— Time Out

As Pratchett says: "Thinking. This book contains some. Whether you try it at home is up to you." His wit is on every page; his world surpasses ours, his writing is weird and wonderful. No, weirdly wonderful. It is gripping but put the book down to ponder the thoughts inside to unearth a parallel universe. Terry Pratchett is worth more than his idiom; his teachings contain more philosophical thought than I would have ever thought possible.

—— Sian Reilly (aged 13) , Sunday Express

A brilliant first novel

—— Rose Tremain , Daily Mail

A slick debut pulled off with brio, Swan Song is glamorous, vivid and sometimes even daring in its intelligence

—— Irish Times

A dazzling read

—— Image magazine

Greenberg-Jephcott’s debut is fizzing with energy and ideas…The novel has style and substance in spades.

—— Observer

With a grounding in history, it is a fascinating read about the deepest secrets of an iconic author.

—— Hello!

Intoxicating

—— Prima

Swan Song is utterly divine.It swept me up and I just couldn't put it down ... it is the writing in this debut novel that astounds most of all. It is vivid, addictive and whips up a terrific portrait of a deeply contradictory and complex man, contrasting scenes from his unorthodox childhood with those from the gilded bubble he ended up in that he lanced through his own actions.

—— Victoria Sadler

A sumptuous look at the icons of Manhattan's high society scene in the mid-20th century ... An immersive readthat will have you questioning real histories versus the ones we create for ourselves.

—— History Extra
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